Charity Rae Clark (born July 15, 1975) is an American lawyer and politician from Vermont. A member of the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

, she has served as

Vermont Attorney General The Vermont Attorney General is a statewide elected executive official in the U.S. state of Vermont who is elected every two years. It was created by an act of the Vermont General Assembly in 1790, repealed in 1797, and revived in 1904. The office ...

since January 2023.

Early life and career

Charity Rae Clark was born in Springfield, Vermont on July 15, 1975. She was raised in Manchester, Vermont and resides in Williston, Vermont. She is a descendant of Thomas Chittenden, the first governor of Vermont. Her father, Marshall Clark, owned a supermarket in Londonderry, Vermont. Her mother, Melody MacGinnis Reed, was executive director of the non-profit arts organization Gallery at the VAULT in

Springfield Springfield may refer to: * Springfield (toponym), the place name in general Places and locations Australia * Springfield, New South Wales (Central Coast) * Springfield, New South Wales (Snowy Monaro Regional Council) * Springfield, Queenslan ...

. Clark graduated from Burr and Burton Seminary in 1993. Her siblings include a twin sister, Chelsea. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from the University of Vermont in 1997 and served as a policy analyst in the administration of Governor Howard Dean. She then enrolled at Boston College Law School, earning her

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

degree in 2005. After passing the bar, Clark joined the

Burlington, Vermont Burlington is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the seat of Chittenden County. It is located south of the Canada–United States border and south of Montreal. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 44,743. It ...

firm of Downs, Rachlin Martin as an associate attorney. She later worked in New York City, where she was an attorney with the firm of

Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe Orrick is an international law firm founded in San Francisco, California. The firm advises on transactions, litigation and regulatory matters for venture-backed companies, public companies, E&I funds, financial institutions and governments. Histo ...

. In 2014,

William Sorrell William H. Sorrell (born March 9, 1947) is an American politician. He is the longest-serving attorney general in the history of the U.S. state of Vermont, holding the position for 20 years. Originally appointed by Governor Howard Dean in 1997, ...

, then the attorney general of Vermont, hired Clark as an assistant attorney general. She served as the

chief of staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supporti ...

T. J. Donovan Thomas J. "T. J." Donovan Jr. (born January 15, 1974) is an American lawyer and politician who served as Vermont Attorney General from 2017 to 2022. He was first elected in 2016 with over 66 percent of the vote. He previously served for ten years ...

for four years while Donovan served as attorney general. She resigned in May 2022.

Attorney general of Vermont

The week after resigning as Donovan's chief of staff, Clark announced her candidacy for state attorney general in the

2022 Vermont Attorney General election The 2022 Vermont Attorney General election took place on November 8, 2022, to elect the next attorney general of Vermont. Former Democratic Attorney General T.J. Donovan resigned after three terms in office. Susanne Young, appointed by Gover ...

, as Donovan was not seeking reelection. Clark defeated Rory Thibault, the states attorney for Washington County, in the Democratic Party primary election, 58% to 28%. In the November 8 general election, she faced Republican Mike Tagliavia, a first-time candidate who is not an attorney, and won the election with 65% of the vote, becoming the first woman ever elected Attorney General of Vermont.

Family

In July 2011, Clark married Robert Lietar, a television producer and documentary filmmaker. Their ceremony took place at Hildene, the Robert Todd Lincoln home in Manchester, Vermont. They later divorced, and are the parents of a daughter.

Notes

References

External links

Government websiteCampaign website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clark, Charity 1975 births Boston College Law School alumni Living people People from Manchester, Vermont People from Williston, Vermont Political chiefs of staff University of Vermont alumni Vermont Attorneys General Vermont Democrats Vermont lawyers Women in Vermont politics